Mendocino County grand jury application deadline extended

The deadline to apply for a seat on the Mendocino County civil grand jury has been extended to May 30, the Mendocino County Superior Court announced Thursday.

"All qualified citizens interested in serving on the 2014-15 Mendocino County grand jury are invited to submit their applications to the Superior Court for consideration," Judge John Behnke wrote in a prepared statement.

The grand jury will be sworn in on June 27. The body's 19 members serve for one year and are empowered to investigate the operations of the county, city and district governments, to provide civil oversight of local government departments and agencies and to respond to complaints from citizens.

To qualify, an applicant must be a United States citizen, be at least 18 years old, be a Mendocino County resident for at least a year and be fluent in written and spoken English.

A grand juror may not serve on any other governmental board or commission during the one-year term on the grand jury and cannot hold public office or become personally active in any campaign of a candidate for elective office. Before being nominated, each qualifying applicant is interviewed by a Superior Court judge and undergoes a background investigation by the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office.

Work schedules and meeting locations are flexible because the grand jury sets its own agenda and schedules its own meetings, and because much of the work is done by small committees. Training for grand jurors will be provided.

The grand jury investigates and reports on the functions of local and county government agencies. "Service on the civil grand jury is an excellent opportunity to learn about the inner workings of government, while providing a valuable service to the community," the court stated.

Applications and related information are available and can be downloaded online at www.mendocino.courts.ca.gov/grandjury. The applications can also be picked up in person at the Ukiah courthouse, 100 N. State Street, Room 303, in Ukiah. For more information, call the grand jury office at 463-4320, or Yolanda Nunez at 468-3498.